Last Sunday being an off day I woke up bit late. After moving on with the daily chores, I logged in to the mailbox and sneaked into the social media. Thereon I was awestruck to see the news feeds. Everywhere it was flooded with posts, write ups, posters calling to respect women. Every single person preached about women empowerment, dignity and veneration for the women folk.

I
wondered what a drastic change the country has undergone overnight.
How this patriarchal society suddenly became the activist for
the elevation of women's stature. Why are the people who every shares
the news about lamenting an horrendous crimes like rape, molestation,
acid attack, eve teasing, dowry killing, today all of a sudden
started blathering about entitling women with all her rights. Then I
realized its International Women’s Day (March 08).

In
Focus

Speaking
particularly about India along with the numerous trends that have
started, celebrating women's day is yet another one. All throughout
the day my cell phone beeped to innumerable messages inviting for
various programs and campaigns initiated on the occasion of women's
day.

However,
being a country where woman is given the utmost importance. A country
which itself is termed as Bharat mata. A country where women is
personified as Goddesses and worshiped. Do we really need any special
day to show our solidarity for women?

The
second aspect is a question that we need to ask ourselves and
introspect. Are we really entitled to say, ‘happy women’s day’?

How
can we say happy women’s day, when a young girl named Irom
Sharmila, walked all through her life for a cause. And, is on her
death bed today fasting for 12 long years demanding repeal of AFSPA.
Yet, her voice still remains unheard.

We
live in a country where women are burnt alive in the name of dowry
and domestic violence. However, despite the law calling for stringent
punishment, nobody to care for. A country where girls are safe,
neither inside their mother’s womb, nor in the exterior world. It’s
a country where even under the canopy of the forth estate the and
most powerful, ‘the media’, a girl has to be a victim of
abhorrent crimes like sexual violence at work place. So, are women
really happy?

How
to forget one of the heinous and horrendous Nirbhaya incident that
shattered every conscious Indian. And also to mention about tons of
other rape cases and that of sexual violence, where even our so
called protector ‘the police’ is adamant to act. Things doesn’t
end here, but they get more petrifying when educated people, indeed
girls come up with absurd and ridiculous suggestions, like laying
down a time frame for the girls to be out of their abode in order to
avoid rape and other crimes.

It’s
is a country where in the name of religion young talented girls are
issued fatwa just for performing and forming rock bands. It’s a
country where top notch bollywood celebrities when raise their voice
against rape and sexual assault through television shows, starts
getting threat calls!!

This
again raises a question, are we really accredited to say, ‘happy
women’s day’?

Nevertheless,
in the midst of hopelessness, the country has also given us winners
and conquerors like M C Marry Kom, Kiran Bedi, Kalpana Chawla, Medha
Patkar also Irom Sharmila and the likes of all who have strived and
succeeded in flying our tri-color high.

It
would perhaps be wrong to judge any individual as good or bad. The
problem lies in the society of which we are all a part. It's the
problem of a society, which is reflected by an individual. Society
forms by collective efforts. So, for deeds of an individual,
somewhere somehow we too are also responsible. We need to strive
towards creating a country where we do not need any special day for
women to be happy; rather everyday should be ‘happy women’s day.'

Editorial NOTE: This article is categorized under
Opinion Section. The views expressed in this article are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of
merinews.com. In case you have a opposing view, please click
here to share the same in the comments section.